Session
Digital Empowerment Foundation
Saurabh Srivastava, Deputy Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation Abner Manzar, Communications Associate, Digital Empowerment Foundation Akanksha Ahluwalia, Manager, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Saurabh Srivastava, Deputy Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation Abner Manzar, Communications Associate, Digital Empowerment Foundation Akanksha Ahluwalia, Manager, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Organization's Website
Speakers
Saurabh Srivastava, Deputy Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Abner Manzar, Communications Associate, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Akanksha Ahluwalia, Manager, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Onsite Moderator
Saurabh Srivastava
Rapporteur
Akanksha Ahluwalia
SDGs
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
12. Responsible Production and Consumption
13. Climate Action
Targets: 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 12. Responsible production and consumption 13. Climate action
12. Responsible Production and Consumption
13. Climate Action
Targets: 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 12. Responsible production and consumption 13. Climate action
Format
Demonstration- to ensure an engaging and impactful lightning talk, we would like to do a live demonstration, and audience interaction. Given the focus on a three-dimensional demo of a movable van-based internet infrastructure, the talk will feature a guided walk-through using either a physical scale model to showcase how the van operates and connects villages in disaster-prone areas. The session will incorporate real-life case studies from the villages to highlight its impact on emergency communication, access to government services, and local entrepreneurship. To maintain engagement, a quick interactive segment will allow participants to ask questions, share insights, and explore applications in their own regions, facilitated through live polling or rapid Q&A tools. Additionally, a demonstration of digital tools will showcase the step-by-step process of deploying and managing resilient internet infrastructure, emphasising the role of community-driven wireless engineering. Given the short timeframe of a lightning talk, the session will be visually rich, concise, and action-driven, ensuring a compelling narrative that illustrates how digital infrastructure can empower communities and inspire scalable solutions for connectivity in disaster-prone regions.
Duration (minutes)
20
Description
A three dimensional demo of movable infrastructure (van( that was built to establish resilient internet infrastructure in 10 remote villages of Uttarakhand, India, a region increasingly prone to natural disasters such as floods and landslides. The demonstration will include details of advanced satellite-based technologies or PM-WANI, enabling quick communication and information dissemination during emergencies, creating a cadre of internet entrepreneurs trained in technical skills, and a demonstration of building figital technology that can connect the unconnected in disaster prone areas. This will also engage with participants bring around digital access in disaster prone or hilly terrain. The lightening talk will focus on a walk-through of building resilient infrastructure, Osmocomm’s open GSM software based telecom suite, HF Signals’ open source hardware, the sBitx software defined radio core to bring connectivity to the masses and creating an entrepreneurship ecosystem where community members can become wireless engineers and connect the villages to digital access, digital rights, government services and entitlements, and creating a smart ecosystem.
To bridge the gap between onsite and online participants, the session will integrate the following strategies: 1. Dedicated Hybrid Moderator– A designated moderator will facilitate seamless interaction, ensuring that both online and onsite participants have equal opportunities to engage. 2. Live Polling & Q&A– Using tools like Slido or Mentimeter, we will conduct real-time polls and Q&A sessions where both onsite and virtual attendees can submit and upvote questions. 3. Speaker Engagement Across Formats– Speakers will alternate between addressing in-person and virtual audiences, ensuring balanced participation. 4. Breakout Discussions– Small virtual and onsite discussion groups will be formed, with cross-platform sharing through digital whiteboards or collaborative documents.
To bridge the gap between onsite and online participants, the session will integrate the following strategies: 1. Dedicated Hybrid Moderator– A designated moderator will facilitate seamless interaction, ensuring that both online and onsite participants have equal opportunities to engage. 2. Live Polling & Q&A– Using tools like Slido or Mentimeter, we will conduct real-time polls and Q&A sessions where both onsite and virtual attendees can submit and upvote questions. 3. Speaker Engagement Across Formats– Speakers will alternate between addressing in-person and virtual audiences, ensuring balanced participation. 4. Breakout Discussions– Small virtual and onsite discussion groups will be formed, with cross-platform sharing through digital whiteboards or collaborative documents.